NBS & GREEN SPACE MANAGEMENT

HOW CAN NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS (NBS) CONTRIBUTE TO GREEN SPACE MANAGEMENT

Published in 2017

Excerpts from: EKLIPSE report: An impact evaluation framework to support planning and evaluation of nature-based solutions projects(p.19-21 of the report)

Green and blue spaces (which are sometimes referred to as just “green spaces” for brevity) are areas based on natural and semi‐natural elements which provide a range of ecological (Elmqvist et al., 2015), economic (Claus and Rousseau, 2012) and societal benefits (Gómez‐Baggethun and Barton, 2013). A large variety of green and blue spaces exists, but all of them provide, to a greater or lesser extent, ecosystem services required for the resilience and sustainability of urban areas (Badiu et al., 2016).

Cities can strategically implement a combination of different existing, restored and new NBS using green space management plans (Andersson et al., 2014; van Veelen et al., 2015), starting from the principles present in European and national strategies and frameworks and local governance plans (Buijs et al., 2016; Elands et al., 2015), and adapting these to account for local conditions and practices, including the manner in which local people access the benefits of green and blue spaces.

Green and blue spaces are useful instruments for urban planners in achieving a sustainable urban structure, and they have a significant cultural and social dimension. They can provide elements characterizing the heritage and aesthetics of the area (Madureira et al., 2011; Niemelä, 2014), as well as being valued for recreation (Fors et al., 2015), social interaction (Kaźmierczak, 2013), education (Krasny et al., 2013)and supporting healthy living (Carrus et al., 2015).

Green and blue spaces are important for urban biodiversity in providing the required resources (Bennett et al., 2015) and habitats for species of interest (Niemelä, 2014), improving functional and structural connectivity at the urban level (Iojă et al., 2014) and increasing biodiversity knowledge or public support for conservation (Andersson et al., 2014).